The Pittsburgh Steelers are 0-4 for the first time in 45 years. Never in his six-plus years as head coach has Mike Tomlin seen his team so lost.

The latest foggy performance came in London, in Sunday's 34-27 loss to a Minnesota team as desperate as the Steelers going into Week 4 at 0-3. Seeing how the Vikings did it -- pounding away with the rushing attack for big chunks of yards, coming up with key sacks and takeaways -- had to be a particular source of frustration for Tomlin.

Tomlin was burning up afterward and put his players on notice. But here's the hangup: As much as they're not doing their jobs, they're not suited for the job Tomlin wants them to do, either.

Going into the season, Tomlin had designs of his team going back to "Steelers football." It's a cliche formula with the loose definition of a power run-oriented offense backed by a physical, playmaking defense.

The problem is, that's not Pittsburgh's current identity and won't be anytime soon.

Even with the much-anticipated debut of rookie running back Le'Veon Bell, who scored his first two NFL TDs, the running game sputtered with only 77 yards on 21 attempts. The familiar offensive line issues looked even worse, as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked five times, including a strip that sealed the Steelers' fate on their last-gasp drive.

It might be hard for Tomlin to accept that the Steelers only have a chance if they let Roethlisberger loose. Their offense found a pulse in Week 3 against the Bears when he passed for 406 yards. At least he gave them a chance by taking a lot more deep shots (383 yards) on Sunday.

Tomlin and the Steelers have stuck way too long with the experiment of offensive coordinator Todd Haley, when it's clear Roethlisberger wants to keep doing what made him so successful under Haley's predecessor, Bruce Arians.

That wide-open, aggressive style may not be what Tomlin likes, but it's on him and the coaching staff to realize that's what his team is built to do. It would be nice if the Steelers had Adrian Peterson in the backfield and the same level of run blockers, but that's nowhere close to who and what this team is.

As a coach with a background in discipline and defense, you can bet the other side of the ball raised Tomlin's ire even more. They didn't tackle well. And they were out of position. That combination allowed Peterson to run roughshod over the Steelers and made the Vikings' wide receivers look unstoppable after the catch.

The Steelers defense, because of the great Black and Gold tradition and recognizable old stars such as Troy Polamalu, keeps getting billed as a difference-making unit. But as has been the case in every game this season, the defense failed to force a turnover and got only one sack against Vikings backup quarterback, Matt Cassel. The Vikings came in struggling to protect the ball and the passer. You couldn't tell it by this game.

Tomlin and the Steelers' front office have let their personnel get a little stale. The Steelers, under Dick LeBeau, rely on stopping the run early and having their 3-4 pass rush tee off later. But when that's not happening, things are even tougher on the offense.

It all points to the need to have Roethlisberger come out firing, instead of putting him in the line of fire in one-dimensional comeback mode. It's the big passes and jumping to early leads that can help out the run and put the Steelers' defense in position to make plays, and not vice versa.

There's no doubt Tomlin has a great track record as the Steelers' coach. He's used to success, and has a Super Bowl ring and another AFC championship to show for it. But right now, his players are slumping -- and he's going right along with them.

It's time to give up this idea of playing "Steelers football." That is, if Pittsburgh wants to see winning football again soon.